Giraffe

Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

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Users say
(10)

3 out of 5 stars

Time Out says

3 out of 5 stars

If you don’t love Giraffe, you probably don’t have children. It’s not that giving birth suddenly creates a taste for burritos or pesto oil, but new parents have a heightened appreciation of such elements as well-spaced tables, buggy parking, unflappable staff and ground floor toilets. Giraffe’s crayons, sheet of games and spot-on kid’s menu have given many a couple the simple luxury of a breather on a hectic day out – and the food’s not bad.

The menu shuffles a pack of ideas gleaned from hippy travel guides (world music plays in the background) and swooshes them with contemporary dish styling, such as wooden boards and dinky pots.

Best dishes tend to be classics: a generous torpedo roll of minute steak; the house bacon and cheese burger; chilli beef enchiladas; and breakfast pancakes. Lunch deals, an early-bird menu and Bar Buddies (50% off selected drinks 5-7pm Mon-Fri) are deal sweeteners, and the Italian house white wine is very acceptable. Skip desserts in favour of extra chips, a fruit smoothie, Union coffee or a cocktail (we like the ‘mellow yellow’ mojito with mint, lime and passionfruit).

I do not like this chain at all. The only reason I eat here is because all other places are too full. The positive of this place is that it is quick and it feeds you and food in not horrible. Otherwise I am not a fan.

If you're looking for a quiet gourmet experience then this isn't the place for you. If you're looking for a reasonably priced restaurant with a varied menu and a soft spot for kids then this is the place for you.

I can't even remember what I had, it was that uninspiring. What I do remember is the fast, efficient and friendly service, especially from the hostess Veronica.

The other thing that sticks in my mind is the strawberry amaretto desert cocktail served with crumbled short bread biscuits on top. Words cannot truely convey how good that cocktail is so I will not try, but trust me, you will not be disappointed if you decide to round of your meal with one of these.

I was reading through the reviews, as you do, and saw one of my fellow reviewers went for the same thing as me - the green veggie and kale enchiladas. Apologies in advance if you wanted more of the menu covered but there you go.

I think Giraffe may have read her review too as my portion size seemed much larger for the main part of the dish but the salad with tomato salsa was served in a thimble sized container. I was trying to be healthy and the enchiladas were swimming in cream! Way too much to be enjoyable. My friend's falafel burger without a bun look much more acceptable.

It was Saturday afternoon so unsurprisingly overrun with rug rats, but they popped us on a two person booth out of the way so were easily zoned out (I love kids, me).

The staff were as friendly as ever and the service prompt. Lord knows how they manage such a feat with so many people without getting flustered so hats off to them.

The location is great, perfect for an after-dinner stroll along the river and even though the food was a little disappointing this time I'll still use it as one of my go-to places on the Southbank.

I've always had a good experience at Giraffe and this branch is no
different. The location is fantastic- set in the heart of Southbank
overlooking the Thames- it was the perfect place to meet a friend for
lunch. Although when we went there were quite a lot of kids around, we
were given a quiet table by the window which was fine. I had the green
veggie and kale enchiladas which were delicious, but such a small
portion considering I paid £9.65 for it! I didnt feel full at all! Good
thing there was a banana waffle with my name on it to finish things off.
I love the menu at Giraffe, always filled with fresh, healthy meals
with influences around the world- just bigger portions please!

Giraffe seems to fluctuate depending on which branch you go to. I have had some delicious meals in the Wimbledon village branch and an appalling breakfast at the Stanstead Airport branch. Generally the basics are pretty good but don't expect to be wowed. The 2 for 1 cocktails are not be sniffed at though.

After a lovely trip on the London Eye, we decided to stay in the area for something to eat. This area is so lively & buzzing that when we stumbled on Giraffe, with it's outdoor seating, we decided to give it a try.
The setting is perfect, overlooking the Thames & plenty of people watching to indulge in.
We shared the nacho's for a starter, the portion was great, plenty for 2 people, we opted for the chorizo topping which was delicious too, at just under £9 this was good value for money.
We both chose the steak sandwich to follow, served with skin on fries at around £10. This was pretty average, the bread was really hard going, so I resorted to a knife & fork to eat my sandwich, but it was quite tasty.
We happened to be in the restaurant during Bar Buddies, a kind of happy hour, where certain drinks are half price. This was great & I sampled 3 cocktails which cost just over £3 each, they were all really good :)
I believe that Bar Buddies is 5-7pm on weekdays.
We were too full up to try a pudding
The restaurant can be a little chaotic, it is popular with families, but I quite like that.
The one thing that I did not like was that service charge was automatically added to the bill. I do object to this. It is up to me to decide how much to tip. It is not an advisory amount, you actually have to ask for it to be removed if you do not agree with the amount, & that puts my back up unfortunately.
I would certainly eat here again if I found myself in the area, I would not make a special trip to visit

I went to the giraffe at Waterloo expecting good food and equally good service, however i ended up deeply disappointed. Even though I only ordered a Chicken Pho with vermicelli noodles, what i was given was a muddy pool of soup with a couple of anaemic bean sprouts and small pieces of what looked like left over chicken pieces floating around in my soup, but what was most frustrating was the lack of vermicelli noodles. What is the point of putting something on the menu if you are not going to give it to your customers. I understand that economic times are hard but it is a insulting to think you can serve something that lacks the main ingredient. I left without eating anything and feeling just as empty.

Agree, the staff are pleasant and attentive. Unfortunately though, the food is mediocre and this has been my experience of all the Giraffe branches I've been to over the last 4 or 5 years. I had the Thai Duck noodles today - far too much soy sauce so the flavour was quite unbalanced. Also, somewhat lacking in Thai flavourings. Nice cappucino after though. In short, go for coffee and eat somewhere else